A 44-year-old man has been arrested after police recovered a large sum of cash and three signal-jamming devices during an operation in Watergate, Cape Town, following the theft of R449,000 from a businessman’s vehicle.
The businessman, from Maitland, had reportedly been transporting the money to a bank when he stopped in Section Street, Paarden Eiland, on Monday.
According to Western Cape police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala, the businessman suspected that criminals had used a signal-jamming device to prevent his vehicle from locking before stealing the cash.
“When he came back, the motor vehicle was unlocked and a cash amount of R449,000 was missing.”
Police trace stolen cash to Watergate property
Following the incident, members of the Anti-Economic Crime Task Team received intelligence suggesting that the suspects were dividing the stolen money at a property in Mockingbird Street, Watergate.
Police immediately acted on the information and proceeded to the identified address, where they encountered a 44-year-old man.
Gwala said the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Policing Team.
During a search of the premises, officers discovered three signal-jamming devices and a substantial amount of cash that the suspect allegedly could not explain.
The 44-year-old suspect was arrested on a charge of possession of stolen property.
